O'Grady named Franklin County commissioners' president

Monday

Jan 14, 2013 at 12:01 AMJan 14, 2013 at 7:04 PM

County Commissioner John O'Grady was named as president of the Franklin County board of commissioners for 2013 this morning, but not before outgoing president Commissioner Paula Brooks had a few choice words for her colleagues.

Josh Jarman, The Columbus Dispatch

County Commissioner John O'Grady was named as president of the Franklin County board of commissioners for 2013 this morning, but not before outgoing president Commissioner Paula Brooks had a few choice words for her colleagues.

At a meeting that would otherwise serve as a perfunctory changing of the guard, Brooks seemed to chastise her fellow commissioners, saying board members need to conduct themselves in a professional manner.

"We are not a model of civility, unfortunately," Brooks said after lauding the commissioners' recent accomplishments. "Unprofessional tactics might work elsewhere, but not here … It's particularly incumbent upon us to do better. To be conscious of the way we conduct ourselves, especially on general session days, particularly when this is televised and can be misconstrued by viewers that include our family members, and the public and perhaps children."

Brooks said the problem of incivility among board members is nothing new, and can be traced back through the history of the board regardless of the political affiliation of the commissioners.

Brooks went on to implore O'Grady and fellow Commissioner Marilyn Brown to revisit the county's code of ethics, which was first drafted in 2005. She said the code needed to be updated and tightened "to prevent the ugliness of greed and selfishness from becoming a cancer."

Brooks said the county also should adopt a formal lobbyist registry, such as the one maintained by the City of Columbus. Though she said she doesn't know of another Ohio county that has one, she said such a move would increase transparency and improve the public's trust in county government.

Following Brooks' remarks, Brown made a motion to elect O'Grady as the board president for 2013 and Brooks seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved and the meeting adjourned.

Asked after the meeting whether her comments were driven by any specific concerns about greed or unethical behavior among county officials, Brooks said her comments were spurred by many factors, but mostly her thoughts about the direction the county was headed.

O'Grady, who did not speak during the meeting except to vote, said afterward that the board presidency wields little actual power beyond a limited ability to "set the tone" for the year.

"We take turns," he said.

He said he plans to set a tone of "positive, forward thinking and professionalism," for 2013.

"We do great things in county government, and we need to continue to do great things," O'Grady said.

He said he didn't consider updating the county's code of ethics to be a major issue for the commissioners. While he has never witnessed a speech such as the one Brooks delivered today by an outgoing board president, striving for professionalism and civility is never a bad thing, he said.

A bigger challenge the commissioners will face this year, he said, is the county budget and the possibility of further cuts in state funding to local governments.

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